IIVJ   ffJUU 


DTTIESMBDX 

■IllilllllllSlI 


AN   ACT 


FOR   THE 


Relief  of  Families  of  Soldiers  and  Sailors 


FROM   VIRGINIA, 


WITHIN  THE   LINES  OF  THE   ENEMY. 


AND 


REGULATIONS 


FOR   THE 


GOVERNMENT  OF  AGENTS  IN  DISTRIBUTING  THF,  fUHD, 


1864. 


7*«v 


A.  1ST    AC 

For  ths   Relief  of  Fanrlie3  of  Soldiers  living  in  Countiea  within 
Lines  or  urder  the  Control  of  the  Enemy. 

Passed   February  20,  L864 


J.    Be  it  enacted  by  the  general  assembly,  that  the  sum  of  one  million 

dollars  be  aud  the  same  is  hereby  appropriated  for*  the  relief  of  the  needy 
families  of  soldiers  and  Bailors  in  the  confederate  service  from  the  state  ©f 
Virginia,  residing  in  counties  within  the  lines  or  the  power  of  the  enemy, 
as  herein  after  provided. 

#,  The  auditor,  second  auditor  and  secretary  of  the  commonwealth  are 
hereby  appointed  commissioners,  to  act  without  compensation,  to  ■ 
to  the  apportionment  and  expenditure  of  said  money;  and  they  are  h 

authorized  to  appoint  agents  for  the  several  counties,  to  expend  such 
sums  as  the  commissioners  may  allot  to  them,  for  the  relief  of  the  needj 
families  of  such  soldiers  and  sailors  residing  in  their  respective  counties 
I  •■rations,  and  for  the  needy  families  of  those  who  have  been  \.~ 
ahled  or  honorably  discharged,  and  of  the  needy  widows  and  minoi 
dren  of  such  as  may  have  died  or  may  hereafter  die;  and  shall  take  bond 
and  security  from  such  agents,  payable  to  the  commonwealth,  in  a  snfh- 
cient  penalty,  for  the  performance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  them;  and  shall 
require  said  agents  to  return  an  account  of  such  expenditure,  showing 
•  amount  expended  for  each  family:  and  shall  make  such  regulations 
as  they  may  think  proper,  to  prevent  fraud  and  secure  a  faithful,  just 
and  equitable  distribution  of  said  funds  among  the  several  counties,  and 
among  the  families  in  such  county  :  provided,  that  the  widowed  mother 
.and  her  family  shall  be  considered  as  the  family  ol'  a  son  who  has  been 
killed  or  disabled,  or  who  has  died  in  the  service:  and  provided  further, 
that  lhe  provisions  of  this  act  shall  also  be  extended  to  the  classes  of 
persons  named  therein  who  may  not  reside  within  the  lines  of  the  enemy, 
hut  upon  neutral  ground,  or  in  such  relation  thereto  as  that,  in  the  opinion 
of  said  commissioners,  the  count}  courts  of  the  counties  in  which  they 
reside  cannot  afford  them  relief  under  existing  laws:  and  provided  fur- 
ther, that  the  agents  appointed  for  the  several  counties  shall  be  residents 
of  the  couuty  for  which  thej  nxa  appointed,  and  are  over  forty-five  years 


<rf  age,  or  not  subject  to  military  service:  and  provided  further,  that 
where  fche  money  cannot  be  distributed  on  account  of  the  enemy,  it  shall 
be  retailed  in  the  hands  of  the  proper  agents  until  such  time  as  it  can  be 
go  distributed. 

.1  hi  order  to  raise  funds  available  for  the  purposes  of  this  act,  the 
a*?d  commissioners  are  hereby  empowered  to  direct  the  issue  of  coupon 
o*  registered  bonds  of  this  commonwealth,  bearing  six  per  centum  inte- 
nse t  per  annum,  authenticated  in  the  manner  prescribed  in  the  second 
junction  of  the  sixty-seventh  chapter  of  the  Code  of  Virginia  (edition  of 
eighteen  hundred  and  sixty),  to  such  an  amount  as  may  be  necessary, 
uoi;  exceeding  the  sum  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars ;  and  said  com- 
muisiomeis  are  directed  fro  effect  an  exchange  of  said  bonds  for  at  least  an 
eqnajl  amount  of  the  notes  of  the  ba.nks  of  this  commonwealth,  with  said 
bftnkl  or  others  ;  and  the  notes  thus  obtained  are  to  be  applied  exclusively 
t<o  (the  support  of  needy  families  in  those  counties  where,  from  the  pre- 
aeoicse  of  the  public  enemy,  confederate  treasury  notes  cannot  be  used. 
T%tb  said  commissioners  shall  use  confederate  or  Virginia  treasury  notes 
wherever  they  can,  and  shall  draw  orders  on  the  auditor  of  publie 
accounts,  who  shall  issue  his  warrant  on  the  treasurer  therefor:  provided 
the  whole  amount  of  bonds  issued  and  treasury  notes  paid  shall  not 
together  exceed  the  amount  appropriated  in  the  first  section  of  this  act. 

4  The  commissioners  shall  report  their  proceedings  under  this  act  to 
:be  waati  session  of  the  general  assembly. 

b    This  act  shall  be  in  force  from  its  passage. 

A  copy  from  the  rolls — Teste, 

WM   F  GORDON,  Jut 

C.  H.  D.tiK.  •/  R. 


REGULATIONS 

Ita  the  Government  of  the  Agents  appointed  by  the  Commissioners, 
the  Act  passed  February  20,  1864,  for  the  Belief  of  Needy  Families  «£ 
Soldiers  and  Sailors  of  the  State  of  Virginia. 


1.  The  agents  must  be  residents  of  the  counties  for  which  they  are 
appointed;  must  be  over  forty-five  years  of  age,  or  not.  subject  to  mil; 
tary  service. 

2.  They  must  each  execute  a  bond  with  security,  payable  to  the  com 
raonwealth,  in  a  penalty  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  for  the  faithful  perform 
ance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  them. 

3.  The  said  agents  shall  keep  regular  accounts,  showing  the  amount 
received  under  the  act,  and  the  amount  expended,  specifying  to  whom 
paid;  the  sum  paid  for  each  member  of  a  family;  how  many  persons 
constitute  the  family,  and  whose  family  it  is  or  was ;  and  shall  return  to 
the  board  at  Richmond,  quarterly,  the  full  statements  herein  required. 

4.  As  soon  as  any  agent  shall  be  appointed,  it  shall  be  his  duty  to 
ascertain  the  number  of  persons  in  his  county  who  may  be  entitled  to 
relief  under  the  act,  and  to  apportion  the  amount  of  money  allotted  to 
such  agent  among  the  persons  entitled,  ascertaining  the  amount  which 
should  be  assigned  to  each  grown  person,  and  how  much  to  each  child, 
and  then  giving  to  each  individual  not  having  a  family  the  amount  allot 
ted  to  him  or  her,  and  to  the  head  of  each  family  the  amount  due  to  each 
grown  person  in  the  family,  and  to  each  child  therein.  Where  the  agent 
cannot  ascertain  in  any  county  the  whole  number  of  families  entitled,  he 
shall  retain  in  the  distribution  a  sufficient  amount  in  his  hands  to  b* 
applied  to  such  person  or  persons  as  he  may  thereafter  ascertain  to  be 
entitled  I 

5.  When  any  sum  of  money  is  paid  to  any  person  or  to  any  head  of  a 
Cwnily,  a  proper  receipt  shall  be  taken;  which  shall  be  preserved  by  the 
agent,  and  shall  constitute  a  voucher  to  sustain  and  settle  his  accounts, 
and  shall  be  returned  by  him  to  the  board,  with  their  quarterly  state . 


b\  The  persona  entitled  to  the  fund  assigned  to  each  county  shall  bo 
the  following : 

The  needy  widow,  and  the  minor  children  of  such  soldiers  or  sailors  as 
may  have  been  killed  in  battle,  or  may  have  otherwise  died,  or  may  here- 
after be  killed  in  battle,  or  may  hereafter  otherwise  die. 

Any  needy  female  adult  child  of  such  deceased  party  having  no  hus- 
band, or  who  may  have  been  dependent  upon  such  deceased  parly,  and 
unable  to  obtain  her  own  support. 

The  needy  family  of  soldiers  or  sailors  in  service,  where  the  families 
are  residing  in  the  county  or  corporation  which  is  in  the  hands  of  the. 
enemy. 

The  needy  families  of  those  who  have  been  disabled  or  honorably  dis- 
charged. 

The  widowed  mother  and  her  family  are  to  be  considered  as  a  part  of 
the  family  of  a  son  who  has  been  killed,  disabled,  discharged,  or  who  has 
died,  even  though  the  son  may  have  a  family  of  his  own. 

Persons  who  do  not  reside  within  the  lines  of  the  enemy,  but  upon 
neutral  ground,  are  to  be  entitled  to  relief  as  well  as  those  within  the 
said  lines ;  but  no  person  is  to  receive  relief  under  the  act,  if  the  county 
courts  of  the  counties  in  which  they  reside  can  afford  them  relief  under 
<  \is ting  laws. 

7.  Agents,  after  executing  their  bonds,  and  after  they  have  been  ap- 
proved, must  return  the  same  to  the  second  auditor  of  Virginia,  to  be 
preserved  by  him,  with  authority  to  sue,  and  compel  a  proper  account 
and  a  full  settlement  of  all  balances  remaining  on  hand,  when  thereto 
required. 

The  following  form  and  authentication  of  bond  is  to  be  used: 

KNOW  ALL  MEN  BY  THESE  PRESENTS,  That  we 
of  the  county  of  ,  axe  held  and  firmly  bound  unto  the  com- 

monwealth of  Virginia  in  the  just  and  full  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars; 
to  the  payment  whereof,  well  and  truly  to  be  made,  we  bind  ourselves, 
our  heirs  and  personal  representatives,  jointly  and  severally,  firmly  by 
these  presents. 

Witness  our  hands  and  seals  this  daj  of  18 

The  condition  of  the  above  obligation  is  such,  That  wherean 
the  above  has  been  appointed,  by  the  commissioners  appointed 

by  the  act  passed  20th  February  1864,  for  the  relief  of  soldiers,  Ac., agent 
to  expend  the  amount  that  may  be  allotted  to  the  county  of 


Now,  if  the  said  shall  faithfully  discharge  the  duties  of  his 

appointment  according  to  law,  then  this  obligation  shall  be  void ;  other- 
wise to  remain  in  full  force  and  virtue. 

[Seal.] 
[Seal.] 
County . 

personally  appeared  befoTe  me. 
and  acknowledged  the  above  bond  to  be  their  act  and  deed ;  and  the  said 
surety  made  oath  that  he  (or  they)  are  worth  the  penalty 
of  the  bond,  after  bis  (or  their)  debts,  or  those  for  which  he  (or  they)  are 
bound,  are  paid. 

Given  under  my  hand  this  *      day  of 

The  acknowledgment  may  be  taken  by  a  justice  or  notary  public. 

9.  County  agents  may  appoint  sub-agents  within  their  respective 
counties,  to  aid  in  the  distribution  of  the  fund;  but  in  all  such  cases,  the 
county  agent  will  be  held  responsible  upon  his  official  bond  for  the 
faithful  performance  of  the  duties  of  such  sub-agent. 

J.  M.  BENNETT, 
H.  W.  THOMAS, 
G.  W   MUNFORD. 

Commissioners. 


Hollinger  Corp. 
pH8.5 


